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Elisabeth Pate-Cornell facts for kids

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Elisabeth Pate-Cornell
Elisabeth Pate-Cornell Potrait.jpg
Born
Marie-Elisabeth Lucienne Paté-Cornell

1948
Alma mater Aix-Marseille University
Grenoble Institute of Technology
Stanford University
Spouse(s) Late C. Allin Cornell
Admiral James O. Ellis (USN ret.)
Scientific career
Fields Risk Analysis
Institutions Stanford University

Marie-Elisabeth Lucienne Paté-Cornell, born in 1948, is a brilliant professor at Stanford University. She works in the Department of Management Science and Engineering. She was also the first person to lead this department.

Professor Paté-Cornell is an expert in understanding and managing risks in engineering. She uses special math, called Bayesian probability, to work with information that isn't complete. Her research has helped with important projects. These include studying the tiles on NASA space shuttles and looking at offshore oil platforms. She also studies medical systems. Since 2001, she has used her skills to help assess risks of things like terrorist attacks.

About Elisabeth Paté-Cornell

Her Early Life and Education

Elisabeth Paté-Cornell was born in Dakar, Senegal. She studied a lot in different places. In 1968, she earned her first degree in math and physics from Aix-Marseille University in France. She then got more degrees in applied math and computer science from the Grenoble Institute of Technology in France.

Later, she came to the United States. She earned a Master's degree in Operations Research from Stanford University in 1972. In 1978, she completed her Ph.D. in Engineering-Economic Systems, also from Stanford.

Her Amazing Career

Professor Paté-Cornell started her teaching career at MIT as an Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering. Later, she joined Stanford University. She became a Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering and then in the Department of Management Science and Engineering.

From 1997 to 2011, she was the leader, or Chair, of her department at Stanford. In 1999, she was given a special title: Burt and Deedee McMurtry Professor in the Stanford School of Engineering. She is also a senior expert at the Stanford Institute for International Studies.

Awards and Recognitions

Professor Paté-Cornell has received many important awards for her work. Here are some of them:

  • She won the Best-paper Award from the Military Operations Research Journal in 2003.
  • In 2002, she received the Fellows Award from the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS).
  • The Society for Risk Analysis gave her a Distinguished Achievement Award in 2002.
  • She also received an Award for Meritorious Civilian Service from the United States Air Force in 2002.
  • Stanford University recognized her excellent teaching with a Teaching Award in 2002.
  • She was honored by the IEEE Engineering Management Society (EMS) for the best paper of the year in 2001.
  • In 1995, she became a member of the National Academy of Engineering. She also served on its Council from 2001 to 2007.
  • She was President of the Society for Risk Analysis from 1995 to 1996.
  • She is also a member of the French Academy of Engineering.

Important Boards and Groups

Professor Paté-Cornell has been part of many important groups.

  • She was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1995.
  • She was also a member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board from 2001 to 2008. This board advises the President on important intelligence matters.

Her Personal Life

Elisabeth Paté-Cornell was married to the late Professor C. Allin Cornell. They have two children, Philip (born 1981) and Ariane (born 1984). She is now married to Admiral James O. Ellis (USN ret.).

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